Now Commenting On:

Millwood's next start remains on hold

Millwood's next start remains on hold

Kevin Millwood

By
/
|

ARLINGTON -- Kevin Millwood hasn't tested his arm since his previous start, on Wednesday in Toronto, was cut short by a sore shoulder. The veteran right-hander will be skipping at least one start and could possibly be done for the season, as the year is quickly winding down.

Millwood's next turn in the rotation would have been on Monday, but young right-hander Hector Noesi will start that game against the Orioles, and Erasmo Ramirez is penciled in for Tuesday, as the Mariners want to take a look at their two September callups.

"We're going to give [Millwood] some time," manager Eric Wedge said on Saturday. "We're plugging in Ramirez and Noesi. We'll still need to give [Millwood] some time to see if he's going to pitch again, quite frankly."

Millwood, 37, won his two starts before the outing against the Blue Jays to improve to 6-12 with a 4.25 ERA, but he was pulled after the fifth inning in Toronto despite having thrown just 66 pitches when stiffness in the shoulder began limiting his velocity.

"I'm still standing. I'm still on the right side of the grass," Millwood said on Saturday, "but I haven't really thrown yet. So on that front, there's really no news. We're just waiting to see what happens over the next couple of days, and then we'll make a plan from there."

Felix Hernandez will start on Wednesday. The Mariners haven't announced their rotation beyond that, but there are plenty of options now with the addition of Noesi and Ramirez to the mix.

"That's the good thing," Millwood said. "We have plenty of arms here now, so there's really no rush. There's not a major need for me to get out there soon."